River of Ichor
by John Icalus
Summary: Augustus Praedo is not an ordinary kid. And as it turns out, he's not even ordinary in the world of the gods. The rarest being in a long time, he'll have to work hard to survive. He'll make friends, enemies, and heck, he might even die a few times.
1. Prolouge

**Meet Augustus Praedo.**

Picture an 8th grader. About five foot three, slightly plump, no left arm. Short, roughly cut messy brown hair.

He was not normal.

If you asked him about his family, he'd look away. If you looked close enough, you could see tears in his ears. You see, Augustus was a foster child. He never knew his parents. His mother died when he was young. His father had given the baby Augustus to family friends Greg and Anne Surrey.

The Surreys were very intelligent. Greg had a job at a laboratory in the city, and Anne was a professor at the local university. They were very busy, and Augustus understood that. He liked the Surreys, but they didn't have much time for him.

Anne used to tell him stories about his father. "He was great man," she'd say. "He was very important. He couldn't raise you, and he gave you to us. We were happy to take you."

A few other things separated Augustus from his peers. Another was his vision.

He often mistook things. He swore he saw a man with one eye, right in the center of his head, not once, but a few times. No one believed him.

One time in science class, they were watching a video on the Arctic. Augustus saw a gigantic monstrous head poke through the icy water. He'd told his teacher, Miss Interpret. He played back the clip, over and over, and then froze it on the image. Miss Interpret sent him to get his eyes checked.

The nurse said he had perfect twenty-twenty vision.

Another un-normal thing about Augustus was his disability. As previously mentioned, he had no left arm.

Augustus was a very irritable boy. He was mocked for his nationality, his being overweight, and his bad grades, but if someone poked fun at his missing arm, he'd throw a punch.

He'd been told that he'd lost his arm in a terrible accident as a toddler. This was before his mother died. He could never even attempt to remember that.

He'd never remembered ever having more than his right arm, so he was used to it. Life was hard – it would've been if he wasn't crippled, too – and he couldn't participate in that many gym classes.

These things lead to bullying.

Augustus went to the only school in Easton, Iowa – ironically named Easton School – and he was unfortunate enough to be at the same school with Randy MacNair.

We'll get to MacNair later.

But MacNair and his gang – though all smaller than Augustus – made Augustus's life hell. They called poor Augustus "Play-Dough". Those idiots thought that was funny. Augustus never knew why those kids hated his guts.

He would shortly, but we aren't there yet.

As many other kids in 21st century America, Augustus learned about a way to leave his reality.

No, not plastic surgery.

Fantasy books.

He'd read all of the popular series. Harry Potter, Maximum Ride, but his favorite series was the Percy Jackson series. He was enamored with this alternate universe like Percy's. He was compelled to read them.

Okay, biography over, is everyone ready?

Alright, let's begin.


	2. Skydiving

**It was the first day of summer.** Augustus wasn't exactly looking forward to it – he didn't have too many friends – so he did the natural thing – he slept in.

He peeled himself off his bed at 10 o'clock. He found the Surreys waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Augustus," Mr. Surrey said, "We're going to fly into New York. There is this, ah, _place_ your parents always wanted you to, um, _see_."

Augustus had never been to New York. He looked at a slip of paper on the table. The address looked somewhat familiar. "I think I've seen this address before." He said, nervously.

Anne and Greg locked eyes, and then looked back at Augustus. "You couldn't have." Anne said.

Greg shifted his weight. "The flight takes off at 4:30, so you should pack."

Augustus's eyes widened. "How much?"

"A few sets of clothes."

Augustus ran up the stairs, looking at the address. Oh – 3.141 were the first four digits of pi. Coincidence?

Maybe.

He took out his battered, old suitcase, and put in a few sets of clothes. He also threw in a few books – he didn't know if he would have time – and brought it downstairs. He rolled up to the table, jittery and excited. He'd never really gone on what you'd call a trip.

"I'm ready." Augustus said.

"Do you have _everything_?" Anne asked.

Augustus shrugged. "Um, I think so."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "DualShine?"

Which leads us to DualShine. DualShine was pocketknife. Augustus had had it since his 7th birthday. It was his good luck charm, but he didn't seem to have too much good luck.

Oh, well.

The thing about DualShine that Augustus loved the most was it's blade. It wasn't exactly what you would call _normal_. It was half-bronze, half-some-sort-of-gold.

Thus, DualShine was it's name-o.

Augustus ran to his closet. He found the handle. He pulled out the knife. Just for the heck of it, he clicked open the blade. Six inches of bronze and gold glinted in the dim lighting. He put it gingerly in his pocket.

He dashed back down the stairs. "We'll be leaving for Des Moines in a few minutes." Anne said.

A few minutes? "Des Moines is, like, 200 miles away, right?" Augustus asked.

"Yeah, but the Des Moines International Airport is the best in the area. Des Moines is a very interesting place, actually. I've taught lectures at Drake University there, and the Iowa state capitol is beautiful." Anne said.

Augustus noticed the MapQuest directions on the table. It said _Your trip is 3 hours and 17 minutes_ at the top. The direction said that 100 miles of it were on Interstate 80.

"We'd, ah, better get going, then." Augustus said.

They piled into the car. Augustus took out his iPod, and tried to pass the time as they zipped down US 151. He'd every so often see a cow, which would oddly regard him, like a nod. He thought that was strange.

The compact zipped past the towns of Monticello and Ahamosa, past Marion. Through Bertram.

Eventually, they merged onto the 80 West Interstate. This took them directly to Des Moines. Augustus had never been to Des Moines before. It wasn't such a big deal, if you asked him. The car passed a cemetery, than a park. After a few more minutes, he saw a big lake. There was a sign that said_Grays Lake_. Maybe who ever discovered it's name was Gray. Or something.

They pulled into the terminal at 1:56 PM. They shuffled through the metal detectors. I won't explain the next sequence. They boarded the plane.

Augustus and the Surreys couldn't get seats next to each other. Augustus sat down next to a girl with blonde hair. She was talking to a boy that was next to the window. The boy complained about being on the plane, while the girl assured him someone had given him permission. The boy still didn't look convinced, but he tried to hide it.

The plane went through some rough turbulence at takeoff. Augustus thought The Boy was going to scream, but he didn't.

They were only in flight for a few minutes before _It _happened.

Augustus would later think it was the luckiest moment in his life. But at the time, he thought he would die.

A flight attendant with a bandana looked into the row of seats. "Anything, dears?" She asked sweetly.

"Um, no thanks." The blonde girl said quickly. He turned to the boy and whispered something. The boy's eyes widened.

"Are you sure? Because it wouldn't be_ any _trouble at all. Pillows? Snacks? A place forever at my sister's garden?"

Augustus thought that was strange. "Um, no thanks."

The Girl stood up. "Bathroom." She said quickly. Augustus let her pass by.

The Boy leaned over and whispered. "What's your name?"

"Augustus."

"Augustus, listen to me," The Boy hissed. "You won't be able to see this clearly. Stay out of the way. You wouldn't want to get hurt."

Augustus frowned. "What's going on?"

Then, he saw it. The flight attendant wasn't wearing a bandana anymore. It's hair... that didn't make sense. It was growling and snapping, squirming.

Snakes.

He saw The Girl. She was distracting the _thing_ from the front. She was staring at the floor in front of it. The Boy jumped over Augustus. "Over here!" He yelled. "Or are you afraid you'll go the same way as your sister?"

"It's Stheno!" The Girl yelled.

Stheno turned. About ten people stiffened, then slowly turned gray.

To stone.

"Ah, a daughter of Athena! Your mother is the reason I am here! Just because dear _Medusa _had a crush!" Stheno yelled. "Euryale and Medusa are weak! I have killed more than them combined!"

Augustus was trying to pick up the crucial information. Daughter of Athena. Medusa. Speak of the daughter of Athena's mother. This was all from the Percy Jackson series. But that was fiction.

"Coward!" The Boy yelled. "Face me!"

Stheno turned towards The Boy. "Get your knife!" He yelled.

"I don't have it! The metal detector!" The Girl yelled.

_DualShine, _thought Augustus. He reached to his pocket where DualShine was. Somehow it hadn't been busted at the metal detector. "Here!" He yelled. He threw it.

The Girl looked surprised, but caught it in her left hand. She clicked open the pocketknife. Augustus saw it elongate to an old-fashioned 18 inch long knife with a leather grip handle. The Girl looked from the knife to Augustus. Then, she came to her senses. She drove the knife into the Gorgon's back.

The gorgon made a swipe at the wall of the plane, and tore open a hole in the cabin. The mortals started yelling. The pilot ran into the cabin. Not a good choice, and Stheno turned him to stone. The same happened to the backup pilot.

The monster disintegrated to ashes. The passengers screamed. The Girl turned to Augustus. She pointed to the blade of DualShine. "How did you get this?"

Augustus shrugged, and then looked for the Surreys. He couldn't find them. "I'm not sure!" He said. "My forest parent gave it to me when I turned seven."

The Boy stared. "Why were you headed to New York?"

"I'm not sure! The address was Farm Road 3.141!"

The Girl and The Boy shared a look. The plane began to rock, and the auto pilot was zapped out. The hole in the cabin was beginning to widen. The Boy ran to the cargo hold. He came back with some bags. He had Augustus's bag, too.

"Listen." He yelled over the whipping wind. "You're going to the same place we are."

He inched his way to a window. "WATER!" He yelled over the noise. "Annabeth! Augustus! Come on!"

Augustus didn't argue; but he didn't want to leave the Surreys. The girl named Annabeth reached for the boy's arm. "Take my hand!" She yelled to Augustus.

Augustus took an iron grip on Annabeth's hand. This had to be a coincidence. Annabeth wasn't an uncommon name, right?

He didn't have much time to think about it. The Boy handed Augustus his bag. Then, The Boy jumped. Out. Of. The. Plane.

Augustus didn't have too many thoughts over than AAAAHHHH! As he plummeted towards the earth. No parachute, holding on to Annabeth's hand for dear life. Annabeth was holding on to The Boy's arm for dear life.

"AHAHHAHHHHH!" The Boy yelled.

SPLASH!

They came down on the water at heights and speeds that should've broken every single bone in Augustus's body. But it didn't.

He was sinking towards the bottom of the lake. He came to his senses, and swam up to the surface. He saw Annabeth and the boy on the bank.

"Who are you?" Augustus asked.

"My name is Annabeth Chase. This numbskull –" She pointed to the boy. "Is Percy Jackson."

Augustus stared at them. "Is that a joke?"

The Boy who called himself Percy frowned. "Um, no."

Augustus took one last look at the two people, then saw his battered suitcase. He ran to it. He pulled out 5 books and ran back. "Haven't you guys heard of the series? I think that you're joking."

He handed Annabeth _The Lightning Thief_. Annabeth eyes widened. "Percy, look." Percy ran over. They said in unison, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."

Annabeth handed the book back to Augustus. "I don't know _where _you got that, and it doesn't matter. We have to get you to Farm Road 3.141.

"What's there?"

"Oh, you read the books." Percy said, his jaw clenching. "It's Camp Half-Blood."


	3. Ichor

**Percy and Annabeth had more supplies stuffed into their bags then they had let on.** Augustus sat by the lake (Pond… whatever) and stared at it. He had a rough time believing them.

Percy and Annabeth had been nice enough not to point out his missing appendage. Either that or they had been to busy setting up camp to notice it.

So, the characters from his favorite book series just _appear _out of thin air. A monster-esque creature with snake hair had attacked them, and they had free-fallen out of a plane with no parachute. They landed in water, and all Augustus felt was wet in places he didn't know he could get wet in.

"Hey, Augustus! Give us a hand over here!" Annabeth yelled.

Augustus got up, but stumbled over his own feet. He steadied himself, then ran over. Percy and Annabeth were having trouble pitching a tent. Percy had no idea what he was doing. Annabeth was holding a side steady, but she was having trouble keeping the tent from bucking over. "Hammer in that peg," she said.

Augustus found the mallet. He grabbed the peg, and pushed it into the ground. Then he picked up the hammer and pounded it in.

Percy let go of his burden. "Thanks," He said, wiping sweat from his brow. His eyes shot to Augustus's left side. "Um-"

"Percy!" Annabeth scolded him. She turned to Augustus. "I'm sorry for him being so rude. He's being an idiot, like usual."

"Hey!" Percy protested.

Augustus laughed to himself, thinking about The Last Olympian. "What?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing." Augustus said. "So… this business, about you guys being, well, real… is it true?"

"Um, yeah. I think I'm real." Percy said.

"Honestly. I've been to the library a million times, and I've never seen a book about us." Annabeth said.

Augutus went over to his nearly smashed suitcase. He pulled out five books. He went back over. He handed a green one to Annabeth. "The Lightning Thief. It's about your quest to save Zeus's bolt."

He handed a yellow book to Percy. "Sea of Monsters. When Thalia's tree got poisoned, and you guys went with Tyson to find the Golden Fleece."

He handed a blue book and a red book to Annabeth. "The Titan's Curse. When Annabeth got kidnapped. And The Battle of the Labyrinth, when you guys went into the Labyrinth."

They stared. "And… it's a popular series?"

"Moderately." Augustus said. He took out his favorite book. It was grey with a black spine. "The Last Olympian. It's about the Battle for Manhattan."

Annabeth frowned. "The _what?_"

"The Battle for Manhattan. You know, when the Titans invaded New York?" Augustus said. "It involves the Great Prophecy….?"

Percy looked alert. "That doesn't happen until I turn 16."

Augustus said, "When the book ends, you _are _16."

Percy and Annabeth locked eyes. "The books were right so far." Percy said.

"But how could the publisher see into the future?" Annabeth said. "It doesn't make any sense. How-"

"Um, the author's name is Rick Riordan." Augustus said.

"Author?" Percy said. "Well, we'll worry about that later."

Annabeth looked at Augustus, critically. Her eyes bore through him. "We have to get him to camp. He saw Stheno."

"Wait," Augustus said. "You guys think I'm a… a demigod?"

"You know that knife? That's Celestial Bronze." Percy said.

"But… it's half gold." Augustus said stupidly. Annabeth still had it, and she clicked it open. It morphed into the 18 inch long knife with the leather grip. She examined it closely.

"Imperial gold." She said. "Incredibly rare. Who ever your godly parent is, he armed you well."

"But… my foster parents gave this to me." Augustus said. Then he came to his senses. "They were in the plane!"

Annabeth started to say something, but she failed. "I… I'm not sure what happened to the airplane," she said.

"But… both pilots were turned to stone." Augustus said, panicking. "How could someone land it?"

Neither Percy nor Annabeth could find an answer for that. "We're sorry," Annabeth said. She kicked Percy.

"Um, yeah. Maybe you could go year-round at Camp or something." He said. Call Augustus crazy, but he wasn't exactly feeling better at that statement.

"We should get a fire going," Annabeth said, "and maybe some rations, if we have any. Percy, why don't you go over there and look for firewood." She pointed to a grove of trees Augustus couldn't identify.

Percy grumbled something, and then took off. Annabeth went digging in her bag. "Oh, perfect. I hope Percy doesn't mind granola bars." She said.

Augustus, again, laughed. Annabeth looked his way. "What?" She asked.

"I've finished The Last Olympian, is all." He said, chuckling.

Annabeth took a step forward. "How does it end? I mean, Percy turns 16 at the end of the summer, right?"

Augustus nodded. "Then you're sort of like an Oracle. You know what's going to happen." Annabeth said.

"But… I never saw _myself_ in those books. If I'm important to you guys, wouldn't've I been in The Last Olympian?" Augustus asked.

"Maybe you're some kind of bridge," Annabeth suggested. "We've never been pointed out at school. I'm sure that not too many demigods read books. Maybe it's… the Mist. The mortals don't react to our names because of the Mist."

"Are you guys sure I'm a… a demigod?" Augustus asked.

Annabeth pulled something out of her backpack. "Well…there is one thing we could try…" She pulled a long knife out of a scabbard. "We just rub this against your hand. If you can feel it, then no doubt, you are a half-blood."

Augustus held out his trembling wrist. Annabeth lowered the knife, blunt side. Augustus felt the medal pierce his skin. "Ow!" He said. Annabeth was staring at the wound.

"Augustus," she tried to say calmly, "look at your hand." Augustus looked down. He expected to see a tiny drop of blood on his hand. But what he saw wasn't normal blood.

It was Golden Ichor.


	4. Dream

**"Ichor…" Annabeth said.**

Augustus felt a sort of blank buzzing in his ears. It hurt his head to see his own blood, but it hurt even more because it was golden. "That's not normal." Augustus said.

"No, it isn't," Annabeth said, "and if I'm thinking correctly, you're in _huge _trouble."

"Isn't Ichor the blood of immortals?" Augustus asked, nervously.

"It's the blood of immortals, monsters, and nymphs. You aren't a God – I can tell by looking at you. You aren't a monster, obviously. And you're a guy, so you aren't a nymph," Annabeth said, unsettlingly. Something was clearly bothering her. "Unless…"

"What?" Augustus demanded. "I've never even seen myself bleed gold before! But… I bet it was a trick of the mist. I've seen myself bleed a lot. I'm a punching bag at school." He saw the snarling face of Randy MacNair and his gang.

Annabeth shook her head. "It's almost impossible… it's only happened once or twice in history… but…no. It can't be."

Augustus was about to retort, but he was interrupted by a scraping sound. He turned to see Percy, who had just dumped some logs on the ground. "Miss much?" He asked.

"No," Annabeth said. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. Let's get the fire going."

Augustus watched silently as the two demigods set to work. Percy laid out the logs in a circle, then piled some sticks of kindling up towards the center. Augustus thought that the fire looked like they do on TV shows – perfect.

Annabeth drew up a match, and pretty soon they had a roaring fire. They sat on spare logs, silent for a while. Then Augustus spoke up. "About DualShine… what's Imperial Gold?"

"It's a Roman metal." Annabeth said. "It has to ferment in a Temple to Zeus in Rome or something. If we knew who your parent was, it would help."

Augustus didn't think he had any godly traits. Unless there was god of fat, crippled people. "I'm not sure. I was told my mother died, and that my father was important."

"That's typical." Percy said.

The silence was earsplitting. "So… where do you think we are?" Annabeth asked to no one in particular.

"We're near a vineyard." Augustus said, suddenly.

Percy looked confused. "How do you know?"

"I can smell the wine grapes. Can't you?" Augustus found himself saying.

"Um, no." Annabeth said. Again, the silence fell. Augustus heard the distan braying of wolves.

"Did you hear that?" Percy said suddenly.

"Huh?" Augustus said.

"The wolves. I heard them." Annabeth said.

Augustus covered himself. "Um, yeah… I heard them. What's the big deal?"

"We have a friend who travels with wolves." Percy said. There was a longing edge to his voice.

"Thalia." Augustus said.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "We haven't heard from her since Percy went with her and Nico to the Underworld."

"Do you think…?" Percy said, clearly getting excited.

Augustus scrambled to remember something about Greek wolves. "If the wolves aren't friendly, you can only harm them with silver. I don't think we have any silver weapons."

"We don't. But… this isn't very good shelter. If it is the Hunters, then we can be safe in their ward." Annabeth said.

"I'm with Augustus," Percy said. "I don't think it's safe."

Augustus was shocked that an experienced demigod had agreed with him. Maybe Annabeth and he were having another mood. Augustus knew that could happen.

Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she said, "Alright. Percy, take first watch. Be on alert." With that, she retired to the tent.

"She always like that?" Augustus asked.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. Dealing with it part of being her friend, I guess."

Augustus still had something on his mind. "Why were you guys in Iowa?" He asked.

Percy gave a nauseous look, then said, "Do you _really _want to know?"

"Yes." Augustus said, but something in the way Percy said _really _wasn't good.

"Okay. You ever hear of Hermaphroditus?" Percy said.

"No." Augustus said. "But his name sounds like Hermes and Aphrodite smushed together."

Percy threw a stick into the fire. "I'm not too great with Mythology… but Aphrodite and Hermes had an affair one time. They brought forth Hermaphroditus. He got bored when he was my age – 15 – and explored some woods. He pissed off some naiads, and he got cursed. Can you guess what the curse was?"

Augustus nodded.

"Yeah, that's how they got the name _Hermaphrodite_. He's kind of bitter, and his domain isn't what you'd call regal. It's effeminacy – I don't know what that means, but the word makes you shiver, huh?"

Augustus knew what it meant. "Anyway," Percy continued, "He turned on the gods. Hermes and Zeus ordered me and Annabeth to track him down."

"And you got her… err… him?" Augustus asked.

"Yeah. Sliced up his army, too." Percy confirmed. "Listen. You should get some sleep."

It wasn't until then that Augustus realized how tired he was. "Isn't it, like, eight o'clock or something?"

"Yeah. But it's not easy, fighting monsters. Gotta keep your energy up." Percy said.

Augustus looked at the tent. It looked like it could fit two, comfortably. He shrugged, then turned to it.

He opened up the zipper on it, them grabbed a bedroll. He saw Annabeth, reading a book. "Are you reading The Titan's Curse?" Augustus asked.

"Yeah." Annabeth said. Her kerosene lamp flickered.

"Isn't burning kerosene in a tent dangerous?" Augustus asked imperviously.

"No. We loaned this from Artemis. It can withstand anything. Poison, fire, coffee stains. Anything." Annabeth said.

Augustus curled up on his bedroll. "What do you think it means… me, having golden blood?" Augustus said, drowsily.

"I'm not sure." Annabeth said.

Augustus fell asleep to the noises in the woods.

* * *

His dream was crazy.

He suddenly was in a cold, drafty temple. He was wearing a Greek tunic that had a bit of a breeze running through it. His head was wreathed with some kind of plant – ivy, maybe – and an old man stood before him.

"My son," he said, proudly, "today is the day that we bestow the honor of immortality amongst you."

"Thank you, father," Augustus found himself saying. "I knew I would make you proud someday. Is the concoction ready?"

The man (who Augustus somehow knew as Zeus) handed Augustus a vial filled with a glowing potion. "Prepared by Circe." Zeus said.

Augustus uncorked the bottle. He drained the vial in one gulp. He felt a rush race up his spine, then there was a bright light…

He was transported to a temple for a God. The God had a full beard, and was holding something in his hand. _They are coming… They are coming… _was repeating over and over.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. Augustus was standing next a beautiful woman with a flower in her hair. The woman was holding a baby. "Oh, he's so cute…" Augustus heard her say.

Augustus reached out to tickle the baby's chin. "Simply adorable, darling. Now, could you hand him over, please?"

The woman handed the baby to Augustus. "What shall we call him?" Augustus asked.

"Augustus." The woman cooed. "For the greatest emperor Rome ever saw."

"Augustus." He repeated. "Praedo. The Destroyer."

Again, the scene shifted. Suddenly, Augustus was looking at a bird's eye-view angle of a Greek place. "Son," Someone said. But no one was there.

For the first time in the whole dream, Augustus had control over his speech. "Dad?" He asked.

Silence for a few minutes. Then, "Yes, boy."

There were a few things Augustus could saw. 'Yeah, and I'm Zeus!' or 'Thanks for all those childhood lessons' or 'Nice to see you. Now, if you excuse me, I have a life to live.'

But he said, "Who are you?"

Augustus's father had a flat, lethargic tone to it. "I cannot tell you. The Titans could take advantage."

"Am I that important?" Augustus asked.

"You are not a normal demigod, Augustus. You carry immortal Ichor. You have skills unknown to yourself at the moment."

"But how-"

"Eythay illway ebay ersuasivepay. ouyay ustmay avoidway emthay." His father said, almost like a chant.

"What?"

"Remember. One man could change the world with one good-"

The dream faded away.


	5. Injury

**Augustus was shaken out of his dream by Annabeth,** which was bad. He had the feeling his dad had been trying to say something important.

"Augustus, wake up." Annabeth said. "You remember when we heard the wolves?"

Augustus nodded. "You done in there, Annabeth?" Someone said.

A girl with black hair poked her head in. She had a tiara on her head. "The Hunters aren't too happy about taking in Percy." She reported. Then she looked at Augustus. "Who are you?"

"Augustus Praedo." He said. He was sure it was Thalia Grace, Lieutenant to Artemis.

"Is he new?" Thalia asked Annabeth.

"Yes. But he knows a lot about Greek Mythology. Unknown parentage." Annabeth asked.

Thalia sized Augustus up. "Hmm. Oh well. You smell pretty strongly of pine, maybe that's a clue."

"My godly parent is my dad." Augustus said. "He sent me a dream last night. He didn't reveal his identity, though. He said it was dangerous."

Annabeth and Thalia shared a look, like they'd just been handed a bomb and they were told to defuse it. "Right." Annabeth said. "Come on."

As Augustus walked out of the tent he saw that the Hunters had moved their ward to adopt Annabeth's makeshift campsite. He expected Hunters to give him the cold shoulder, but some would stare at him, like he was a rare kind of species. Maybe it was his missing arm.

He tried to shake it off, but uneasiness hung in the air. He thought about his dream last night. He had two arms in all the dreams.

What did it mean? In one of the scenes, he was sure he was his seemingly faceless father when Augustus was just a newborn. Praedo meant destroyer, hmm? Wish it was a little more manly, but he would take what he could get. He was most certainly not a destroyer – he was the one getting destroyed by kids at school.

It also seemed like his mother and father had been in a secluded place, like they were hiding.

Then it hit him: what if he was an illegal child?

Percy, Thalia, and Nico were all illegal because they were spawns of the Big Three. Maybe Augustus was too.

But he didn't feel anything special while in the air. He couldn't swim for his life. He didn't play Modern Warfare 2 and laugh when he killed someone. He didn't like death.

Why did he feel so insecure?

Thalia led him to the head, Big-Guns-type tent. She opened the flap and gestured for Augustus to step in.

It was larger than it appeared from the outside, and there was some girls crowded around someone, with what looked like bandages, like they healing wounds.

Then a girl, maybe Augustus's age, stepped put from behind a curtain. For a second, she looked from Thalia to Augustus's left side, then to the group of Hunters. "How is it going?" She asked.

One of the girls with a ponytail said, "Not good, m'lady."

Another complained, "Why are we wasting our energy on _him_? It's a waste of time, Artemis."

Artemis sighed. "I wouldn't put too much effort forth if it wasn't important. He is vital to Olympus's future, and he was one who saved me from capture.

Augustus peered over the human wall to see a beaten and trampled looking Percy. His chest was bleeding, and his arm appeared to be broken. His nose was also bleeding, and crooked. He must've been tossed on his feet, because his foot had been put in a makeshift splint. "What happened?" Augustus asked.

"We're not sure," Thalia said. "We heard something roar. We charged out, but we only found Percy. Whatever attacked him covered his tracks quickly."

Augustus looked at the mangled body, and then realized Percy had been protecting them. He was patrolling.

That made him feel a whole lot guiltier.

He already had no idea who he was, where he was, and who his father was. By the way he had been 'Hyped' by his father, it seemed like he could be dangerous. Why had he spoken in Pig Latin? How did Augustus have Golden Ichor? Was it a clue to his father? Too many things were flooding his brain.

Then it came back to his foster parents. He had jumped off the plane, which he thought was suicide – but he survived. It was assumed that the plane had crashed. He wasn't sure if Mr. and Mrs. Surrey had survived – but what were the odds?

He felt selfish, dirty, and criminal saving himself but letting all of those mortals die. He was supposed to be a hero – but he felt more like a coward. He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve to be called a hero.

Artemis parted the group and placed a hand on Percy's head. "Oh, my. It's mild to severe."

"Huh?" Augustus asked, dimly.

"He has a concussion." Thalia said. "He won't be upright for a while."

"We can't hold a _boy _for more than a day. It's unethical. We have to keep moving." A hunter said.

Augustus couldn't believe his ears. "You can't just leave him here!"

Thalia frowned. "I agree with – do you prefer Augie, or-"

"Augustus is fine." He replied.

"Right. We can't just leave them here. Annabeth and Augustus can't take of someone." Thalia said.

Artemis had a look of deep thinking on her beautiful face. "Let me address the daughter of Athena."

Thalia left the tent to go find Annabeth. Augustus only then realized she was off somewhere else.

The Hunters were bandaging up Percy's wounds, saying hymns to help heal the wounds. They didn't look too psyched about it, but it was Artemis's orders.

Thalia came back in with Annabeth. Annabeth had a jacket on, even though it was early June. "Ms. Chase, may I speak with you in private?"

Annabeth looked revolted, but followed Artemis into a "secret room" in the back. Thalia and Augustus were standing there in eerie silence. Augustus knew that Thalia wouldn't give him the time of day…

"Think Artemis'll let me go with go with you and Annabeth?" Thalia asked suddenly.

"What?" Augustus asked.

"Oh, she won't let Percy stay with the Hunters. She's told me that he has a reputation on Olympus for being some sort of player. The Hunters know, because they read the Olympian tabloids. It's as dramatic and romantic as they get – the only shows like that they can watch are The Bachelorette and Degrassi."

"You want to… come with us?" Augustus asked, confused. "Isn't it against your code?"

"You're younger than me. Percy is out cold with semi-severe brain damage. Artemis won't think of that as a threat. But I wonder what she's talking to Annabeth about." Thalia said.

Augustus thought about that. Annabeth left the secret room, red in the face, like she'd been shouting. "Augustus, let's get out of here." She said.

"Oh, um," Augustus said, thinking he could give Thalia a hand. Maybe… naw. She was a maiden. "Thalia wants to give us a hand." He said.

"Oh… okay." Annabeth said. "Will Artemis let you?"

"I'm sure that she will. Let me ask her."

Thalia disappeared into the secret room. Annabeth looked at Augustus, then raised her eyebrows.

"What?" He demanded.

Annabeth smiled. "Oh, nothing."

She went over to Percy. Augustus went with her. She looked at the mangled body. "I've seen him hurt… but never this bad." A tear dropped down her nose.

"Hey." Augustus said. "He'll be alright. He's been through a lot worse. It'll be fine. Sure, he has a concussion, but…"

Thalia came in at just the right time. "Alright. We're on the road." She said, smiling. "So… who gets to carry Percy?"


	6. Ambush

**Augustus settled into a fairly simple routine over the next few days.** Wake up, eat rations, patrol, eat rations, sleep. Wake up, eat rations, patrol, eat rations, sleep. His days were fairly uneventful. He, Thalia or Annabeth had yet to see a monster on the prowl.

The healing of Percy was not going well – Annabeth was feeding him docile amounts of Nectar, pouring the godly drink over his wounds. He just sat there in the corner of the tent (which was nearly maxed out on space) like a corpse. Augustus was sure Annabeth didn't have the tools or the experience to fix Percy back to normal.

Augustus mostly hung out with Thalia. He knew Annabeth was "checking" on Percy every hour. Thalia just knew how to make you laugh. And Augustus couldn't but walking with Thalia, laughing with her, and joking with her. For once, he felt like someone understood him.

She knew what it was like losing a parent. Augustus had concluded that Thalia had been through hell in all of her travels, and she had a much more tragic story.

Thalia didn't mention the disability if she could avoid it. She knew he carried Ichor in his veins. She knew that feeling of regret towards your parent.

Annabeth was very distant. She wouldn't go out and admit it, but she was having a panic attack over Percy's injuries, and Augustus had overheard her talking to Percy's unconscious body the other night.

"_Come on. You can do it. Swallow the nectar. Uh! Do not cough it up on me. Gross! You idiot. Wake up!"_

Augustus was unable to sleep a wink at night. He was too scared that something would attack, more specifically, the thing that mauled Percy.

He was jittery and excited when they moved eastward. He thought he was crazy, but ever since he smelled grapes back in Iowa, he'd been smelling things for hours at a time. He could distinguish the smells and know what they were.

He could tell exactly where the smells from, and because of that, he had a vague idea of where they were. He wouldn't tell the girls – they'd think he was crazy.

As far as his nose could figure, they had landed somewhere in Western Illinois. They gone about 20 miles a day (not bad for a trio lugging around an unconscious boy) and were nearing Chicago and Lake Michigan. He was tired, exhausted and anxious.

But they kept moving.

On the fifth day, they were walking along a highway. Percy was still unconscious, and Annabeth and Thalia had him around the shoulders. Percy was the reason they hadn't hitchhiked yet, or bought a taxi.

Thalia must've heard something. She took out her bow, and told them to stay. Annabeth drew her knife, nervously. Augustus clicked open his own weapon, DualShine. He wasn't a very good fighter – he'd gone against Annabeth, knife-on-knife. He didn't even think she was trying.

Augustus took another sniff of the place. He smelled one thing – industry. "We're near a city." He reported. "I've got a feeling."

Annabeth looked deeply into his eyes. She nodded slowly. "We should follow Thalia." She said. "Let's go."

How useful could Augustus be in battle? One arm, and an 18-inch long dagger. Yippee. He ran behind Annabeth, clutching his dagger. They were in a forest-y under bush, and they could hide quickly if necessary. Annabeth was struggling with Percy. They eventually found Thalia, who was crouched under a tree. "Joliet, Illinois." Thalia said. "I've been here with the Hunt. Dirty. Practically crawling with bugs. Encountered a Hellhound here once. Let's pass through the city, and then head to Chicago."

They dashed around the outskirts of the city, weapons ready. Percy was _still _being dragged along by Thalia, and it slowed down their pace. _Why couldn't he wake up already? _Augustus thought.

Thalia motioned for them to stop. "I see something."

She walked out into the open, and dashed along the crowded sidewalk. Eventually, she waved for Annabeth and Augustus to move up. Annabeth dropped her backpack on the ground behind a tree. She propped Percy up against a different tree. "Let's go."

Augustus and Annabeth raced towards Thalia. Thalia nodded. "I think I hear something."

Thalia led the trio into a supermarket. The sign said _Deep Sea Mart_. "Let's get some food, then keep moving."

Augustus wandered over towards the refrigerator aisle. He looked at the selection, and then grabbed a grape Gatorade. He was about to go find Thalia and Annabeth, when a _huge _man bumped into him. Augustus saw that the man must be in the government – he had a big black suit with an American seal on it. He had a bluetooth on, and he kept tapping it, like he was getting a bad signal.

He looked down at Augustus, looking at him like he was a piece of gum on his shoe. Then a slow smile spread on his large face. He moved aside, and Augustus kept moving.

Augustus smelled something wafting through the air – something that was perfect. He literally floated over to the where the bakery items were. He peered into the insulator, and saw a few muffins.

Gods, the smell was overwhelming. He looked at the types of muffins – _Blueberry, Boysenberry _– but then at the end of the row was a different kind. A sign in hand-written words said _Peanut Butter and Jelly._

Augustus snorted, thinking about how ridiculous that was – wait, was that grape jelly? As silly as it seemed, he reachedin and took one out. Augustus's super sensitive nose was nearly overwhelmed.

He was going to find Thalia and Annabeth, but something told him to relax. A nerve or something made him check out his items. He began to think of excuses to get out of paying, but the old lady working smiled sweetly.

"Honey, two nice girls came by and dropped off a twenty. They said you might be coming by."

He thanked her, then fingered his muffin. He saw Annabeth and Thalia sipping drinks at a table 10 yards away.

He plopped down next to Thalia. She had taken the lid off of her insulated cup, and Augustus realized she was drinking coffee. Annabeth was staring off into space, probably formulating a plan or something.

Augustus attacked his muffin. He'd always really liked grape jelly, for whatever strange reason. He sipped at his Gatorade every so often. By the time he was finished, he was tired and ready to buy another.

The huge man from the government was mumbling to another man who looked just like him. Actually, there were three of them: triplet tough guys.

And they were staring intently at Augustus.

One of them nodded. He mumbled something into his Bluetooth, something like "ID confirmed. Get in position."

For a split second, Augustus panicked. But he didn't have time.

A bullet whizzed over his head.

Augustus senses were dull – it was as if someone had spiked his Gatorade with a sleeping potion. Thalia barely had time to extend Aegis, but she opened just in time. Bullets peppered the shield. "What!" Annabeth asked, disoriented.

Thalia groaned. "Aegis can't hold on much longer! Find cover! Draw your weapons! On three!" Augustus thought of the counter about 30 feet away. Better than nothing.

"One!"

Augustus took out DualShine. His fist clenched around it.

"Two!"

Annabeth gasped at a sudden thought.

"Three!"

Augustus jumped out from behind Aegis. It was supposed to be a clear shot, but he forget about the Big Uglies.

Big Ugly #1 had seen him. He growled. "No you don't, dekagod! You can't evade me!" Augustus had just been called a "dekagod", but he didn't know what that meant. He decided to test his fighting skills.

The bullets continued to fly. One errant shot struck Big Ugly #1 in the chest. He groaned. His hood flew off, and it revealed one eye. Augustus relied on instinct, and hesitantly stuck the knife into the Cyclops's chest. It dissolved into a sulfurous yellow.

Augustus ducked behind the counter, the guns still firing. He inched over to the edge, where he saw Thalia and Annabeth hiding behind table. Thalia grimaced. "I can't get a shot with my bow –"

Before she could finish, another blood-curdling scream sounded. Another errant bullet must've hit a Cyclops. "Big Ugly #2, down." Augustus mumbled.

The bullets kept ringing. It was murder on Augustus's ears – then _It _came.

The biggest explosion Augustus had ever heard set off ten yards to his right. Something popped – and a shell came back to him. Engraved on it was a curvy _T_. Maybe in his imagination, but it also said – _Run._

_POP! POP! POP! _Everywhere, discarded bullets began to explode. "Titan bullets!" Annabeth yelled. "Get out of here! Into the building across the street!"

Thalia gulped. She took out Aegis, which was beaten and battered. "It was nice knowing you, old friend." She mumbled to it. "I'll cover you with Aegis. Get across the street."

Annabeth tried to protest, but stopped. She turned to Augustus. "Got your PF Flyers on?"

At that moment, the gunfire stopped. "Now!" Thalia said.

They dashed across the street, Thalia whirling Aegis around to block any weapons. None came. Once they were safely inside the office building, they caught their breaths.

"Wait, weren't there three Cyclopes?" Annabeth asked.

Perfect timing. A rough hand grabbed all three. "Clever now, daughter of Athena?" A gruff voice said. Then the voice switched. "Come with me, Annabeth."

Annabeth screamed. Hard. A pain-filled, hate-driven, let-everything-you-have-out scream. The Cyclops laughed. "I do like it when they scream." He said.

The Cyclops dragged them up the stairs. Which sucked, because there was ten flights of them. At the top of the building, Augustus saw them – various ugly monsters, all holding sniper rifles.

The Cyclops heaved the three into the middle. "Have them." He said.

A half human-half _something _turned. "Where is the Son of the Sea?"

Annabeth choked out, "He isn't here. He's… at Camp."

"No, I'm not." Said a voice coming up from the stairs. A boy of about 15 stumbled up the stairs. His shirt was stained red, and he had bumps all over his face. "Percy Jackson, reporting for duty."

Annabeth's were crazy with fear. "Perfect." The Cyclops said. "The full house."

Percy looked confused, disoriented. He looked at Thalia – but the Cyclops went to tie him up. Percy uncapped Riptide, and sidestepped. He then drove the sword into the monster's gut.

The other monsters took this as a signal to attack. Annabeth took something out of her pocket. She tossed it to Augustus. He understood immediately. He slipped on the Yankees hat, and became invisible.

It was like nothing he had never felt before. He was normally about as stealthy as a water buffalo. The cap helped greatly; he seriously doubted he'd be any help without it.

He enjoyed the look on the monsters' faces when he stuck them with DualShine. Every time he got rid of one, all of the other assorted monsters would swing aimlessly at the place were the attacker was. Augustus would scurry into the corner, and then surprise them.

He saw flashes of the battle around him – Annabeth was fighting a _dracenae, _Thalia was occupied by a few humanoid things, and Percy was trying to beat multiple harpies at once. The more the quartet killed, the more the reinforcements. It was wave after wave of monster.

Augustus knew they couldn't hold on much longer. He concentrated on full power – hoping to summon his father's help. He was still invisible, but he spread his arms wide. _Dad_, he thought, _Help me_!

He felt energy rush through him. Tingling his fingers, numbing his toes. He closed his eyes, then concentrated.

He let it out with a scream.

A terrible, awful scream – one that was probably heard by the British Prime Minister. The whole building's foundations shuddered, and the air smelled… different. Sour, almost.

The monsters lost their minds. One Empousa attacked another of her kind. A harpy began to chase her own tail. They began to kill eachother. It was as if the whole place had just gone... crazy.

He had just summoned his father.

And he was absolutely exhausted.

Percy and Thalia came to there senses, then looked at Augustus. "How…"

"No time! Let's get out of here!"

Thalia led them down the stairs. Percy was limping violently, but he didn't ask for help.

They dashed out of the building leaving nothing behind.

They never did know about a fading purple signal that was above Augustus's head for a few seconds in the top floor.

The sign of being claimed.


	7. Arrival

**On the way back to the "base", Percy explained his situation.**

He'd woken up next to a crate full of supplies. He was dizzy and couldn't think straight for awhile, but he finally realized we might be in the town. How did he find them? Easy, he followed the path of destruction.

By the time they'd reached the supplies, he looked horrid. Augustus knew that he was out of it. Percy was ready to conk out again.

"Wait," Annabeth suddenly said as Percy began to nod off. "Can you call a few pegasi? Please?"

Percy sighed, andii then let out a shrill whistle. A few moments later, a pure black Pegasus, and a white stallion came bursting through the clouds.

They swooped down. "Get… my friends to Camp, alright?" Percy asked the black one. It nodded. Percy let out a huge yawn, and then passed out on the horse's mane.

Augustus looked back at Thalia. "I'll be going back to the Hunt then." She said.

Annabeth waved good-bye, as did Augustus. She then de-materialized, as if she had just teleported, "Right, Augustus, get on Guido. I'll get on Blackjack. Someone has to keep Percy in the air."

Augustus reluctantly climbed on Guido. He'd read in the books about flying on pegasi, but he wasn't sure if his stomach would agree.

As the Pegasus took off, his stomach lurched. The beating of the wings felt irregular, the smell of the ozone made him cough… but eventually he got used to it and enjoyed it.

He looked across the way to see that Annabeth had hooked an arm around Percy's waist to keep him steady on the Pegasus. She looked repulsed at the prospect.

Augustus snorted, again thinking about The Last Olympian.

The two pegasi flew over cities and towns. Augustus never thought he would see things from such an amazing level of sight. He looked down on minor league baseball games, city halls, prep rallies for high schools - you name it.

Pittsburgh passed by, and he couldn't help but kick the spire of a very tall building. Annabeth scolded him, something about "beautiful buttresses" and facades and other stuff Augustus had no idea about.

As they moved over farms, he noticed Annabeth unintentionally fallen asleep. She had settled in to a place on Percy's back, and was snoring loudly.

Augustus began to feel sleepy too. As a matter of fact, the Pegasus's mane looked pretty comfortable right then.

The next thing he remembered was being shaken awake by a girl.

She had reddish-brown hair, and her eyes were a warm hazel color. She was dressed simply, with jeans with holes at the knees and a full denim jacket with a shirt underneath that said Duke Blue Devils.

"Wake up." She said, firmly.

Augustus was half-asleep, and he was half mesmerized. "Whaaa?"

She half-smiled, "The Pegasus got you to Camp. You were asleep on its back, and... Guido had a rough landing. You took a tumble 10 feet down... and never woke up."

"That's... interesting."

"Yeah, you're a heavy sleeper. Get up."

Augustus sat up, rubbing his eyes. He looked around him to see a group of teenaged kids talking amongst themselves. He straight up heard _that__ guy has no left arm_ once or twice. They all had shirts that read -

"Camp Half-Blood - Keeping Young Heroes Safe from Harm (Mostly) For Over Three Millennia."

It was real. Riordan's 'fiction' stories were perfectly true. Unless this was a huge-scale prank pulled by his old classmates back at Easton. As soon as he thought that, he saw a face in the crowd... couldn't be him.

A middle-aged guy in a wheelchair rolled into the circle. "Move aside... orientation video... Conner, extinguish that flame, please..." He said. He rolled to stop in front of Augustus, who knew he was looking at Chiron.

"Hello. I'm Chiron." The wheelchair guy said. "Come with me to the big house. We have much to discuss."

Augustus followed Chiron, and he felt as though all eyes were on him. _One arm... how can he arch?_

Once everyone was out of earshot, Chiron turned to Augustus. "When did you lose your arm?" He said quickly.

"Umm... I don't -"

"Well, come on." Chiron was very agitated and anxious-looking.

Augustus looked around him. He saw kids sword-fighting, shooting arrows, and two sly looking kids were drawing up a plan in the dirt that looked maliciously illegal.

Eventually, they made it to the Big House. Chiron gestured for Augustus to walk in.

"What is your name, son?"

"Uh... Augustus Praedo."

"And as you know, I'm Chiron. Sit down, sit down."

Augustus, stiff as a board, sat down at the dining table. Chiron wheeled up.

"Now, boy, I know this may be hard to comprehend, but -"

"The gods are real, the gods are real. I know."

Chiron gave him a strange look. "I knew that Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia traveled with you... but I didn't think they would tell you."

Augustus snorted. "I already knew. There is this whole series of books about this Camp."

Chiron chuckled. "I always wondered how long it would take for the campers to learn about those. Longer than I thought it would. But, um, yes. This makes the orientation video unnecessary, thank gods."

"Orientation video?"

"Yes. Our Camp Director, Mr. D, has been recalled to Olympus. The gods are ready for war against the Titans."

Augustus snarled. Dionysus always seemed like such a jerk from the books. It was his fault chasing after that nymph and getting one hundred years at Camp. Augustus thought he had - what was it called? Napoleonic Complex, maybe? Yeah.

"I know. But the last book leads up to after the war."

"Mr. Riordan has a way with predictions. But before we continue, we must dress your wound."

"What wound?"

"Come with me."

The house's corridor's echoed as his footsteps patted against the floor while he followed Chiron.

"Here we are, the Infirmary." Chiron said, proudly.

It wasn't much of an infirmary. It had only two beds, and one of them was occupied.

"Lay down."

Augustus felt awkward, but he laid down, using his arm for leverage. "What wound?" he asked.

"Ah, the large one. The arm."

Augustus looked at his empty shoulder. "I wouldn't call it a wound. I lost my arm when I was an infant. I can live without it." He said.

Chiron said nothing. He took out a bottle of sulfurous yellow liquid and filled an eyedropper delicately. "This'll hurt. Stay calm, and don't move too much."

With that, he squeezed the dropper's contents onto Augustus's left side.

The pain was beyond intense. Beyond death. It was as if fire was coursing through his veins - like something was being branded six inches deep in his skin. He let out one wail, but then he remembered that he should stay calm. The pain began to overwhelm him. His vision was blurring. He began to lose the feeling in his body.

"Go to sleep. Go to sleep."

* * *

He woke up, sweating bullets. His whole mid-section was numb.

"That went well." A voice said. "Remarkably fast." Chiron rolled up in wheel-chair form.

"What went well?" Augustus asked.

"We simply dressed the wound." He said.

Augustus tried to look down... but a blinding pain hit his forehead. "Oh!" He groaned.

"You might be sore for awhile. I haven't performed that in ages.

"To put it simply... I grew you an arm. Because it was severed after you were born, it's possible to-"

"You're saying I have a left arm?"

"Well... to put it very blandly, I suppose."

Augustus sat up. The pain nearly blinded him. "I'm think I'm alright. Seriously. Where do I go next?"

"Are you sure you're-"

"Yes, I'm sure. Where do I go?"

Chiron looked skeptical, but dug something out of his pocket. "Here. This is the standard guide. He's a bit... rough around the edges. He'll most likely be at the archery range."

Augustus stood up, the pain nearly blinding him. Chiron led him outside. "The archery range is over there." He pointed at a worn dirt path.

Augustus thanked him, andxx then walked along the path. On the way, he couldn't help but roll the fingers on his left hand. It felt strange and foreign to him.

Once he got to the range, he saw two people with bows, a boy and a girl. They were both hitting the targets consistently. Augustus looked at the card Chiron had given him. "Um... is Amos Finley here?" He asked.

The boy turned. He was probably around five foot five, maybe 150 pounds. He had extremely bloodshot eyes, and a minor acne problem. Brownish-blond hair hung in a curtain around his face. "Look. Pronounce it Aim-ess, not Ah-mohs. Second of all, do not call me Amos, or-" He raised his fist threateningly.

Augustus cowered. Amos laughed. "I do that to ev'ryone that comes 'round here. Turns out, I can be pretty scary if I wanna, eh?"

Augustus blinked. "I know. I'm a monster. Call me Toad, by the way." Amos offered. It was hard to understand him through an accent of some sort. Maybe a New Jersey accent. "Sorry, I don' got no dossier for ya. But ev'ryone calls me Toad. Been that way for three years. I'm a son of Apollo - that's where I get my good looks."

"Ah. I see. I'm Augustus - just got here. I'm undetermined."

"Alrigh'. And, uh, this is Jessica Mica. She's in Cabin Eleven, but she's a Hecate. She uses magic to make her arrows fly straight." Toad said, his face going red.

Jessica notched another arrow. "No rule against it." Was all she said.

"Righ'. Now, c'mon, let's get this tour over with." Toad said.

He put down his bow, but he still had his quiver slung over his Augustus pointed that out, and of course Toad had an answer to that. "It's a superstition, ya see. I almos' never take it off if I don' have to. Most of the Apollo kids do the same thing - it shows a dedication or somethin'. In return, Dad'll give ya flawless aim. 'Least, tha's the story. I ain't so sure, though. I can shoot an arrow real good anyway."

"Oh, I bet."

"'Least you understan'. The old Head Counselor - Fletcher - had the best aim of anybody. Never wore the damn quiver unless he was shootin' arrows. Tha' was a lot, o' course, but still-"

"Um, Toad? The tour?"

"Oh. Oh, righ'. I s'pose you'll need to see yer bunk, too. Well, c'mon. Follow me."

Toad showed Augustus the ins and outs of the Camp. He seemed troubled, almost burdened, like a lot was on his mind. Augustus followed him, not talking much. He wasn't quite sure if he liked Toad yet - he almost scared Augustus. And Augustus couldn't understand half the words he was saying, either. Eventually, he crumbled.

"Where are you from?" He blurted out while Toad was handling a smithing hammer.

"Atlan'ic City. Mom's a meteorologist there."

Toad from New Jersey finished the tour.

"Righ'. So... I guess you'll be stayin' a' Cabin Eleven. The Stolls are good enough, I guess. Totally got that annoyin' girl from Demeter with those candy bunnies on the ceiling. Melted into the grass - naaaasty! Travis digs her, though. Heh, just like Beckendorf always says - 'Ya know a girl's into-'"

"Toad," Augustus shook Toad's shoulders. "Toad! Where is Cabin 11?"

"Oh! Umm, near the others... yeah. Your stuff was already taken to your bunk, righ'?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, uh, I guess."

"Righ'. Uh, see ya around, Augus'us."

Augustus found his way towards the cabins. Cabin Eleven looked like a normal old summer camp cabin - old paint that was peeling, a door that hinges were close to breaking, and the idea that one flame could ignite the whole place because of - well you get the idea. Augustus peered into the room. Yeah, it smelled like a summer camp.

"Hey! You! You must be the new guy... Elroy! Right? Uh, this is your... living space... yeah."

A guy showed him a space of about 2 by 2 inches. "And it's Augustus." Augustus muttered, before falling asleep


	8. Settlement

**That night, Augustus had a lucid dream.**

He _hated_ lucid dreams. He'd started having weird dreams when he was seven. In his dreams, he knew he was in a dream. Most people at school who actually had lucid dreams had amazing ones - where they could do anything they wanted.

But in his dreams, he was tormented. It was such a simple torture. In his lucid dreams he was laying on his bed.

But that was it.

He couldn't move. And in his dreams, he couldn't really breathe either, so his head was always pounding. But that was it. When he was in his dreams, he began to subconsciously torture himself. He began to wonder through his mind. He began to think, _Maybe this isn't a dream. Maybe I'm stuck like this forever._

And that night, his lucid dream had an unexpected visitor - his dad's voice.

His dad's words from the dream he'd had almost a week ago began to replay in slow motion through his brain. _JUST WAKE UP! _Augustus began to shout to himself.

But he couldn't.

His brain started to implode. The pain in the dream was unbearable. But when he hit his breaking point...

He was shaken awake.

"You really do sleep well, don't you?" said a slightly familiar voice.

His eyes adjusted to the light that was streaming through the window. He saw the same girl who woke him up yesterday. Except this time she was wearing a camp t-shirt.

"You..." Augustus said stupidly. He finally decided this girl _was_ kind of pretty; he couldn't deny it. He also decided on the color of hair. It was auburn.

"You're Augustus, right? Well, nice to meet you. By the way, I'm Auburn." The girl said, frowning, as if mentally scolding herself.

He pointed stupidly at her head. "You're, ah, named after your hair."

Auburn glared at him. "Don't make fun. You're named after a blood-thirsty emperor. I call that even. Besides, my dad's kind of weird, and he told me he was always going to name me after my hair, even if it was something else. I'm glad my hair isn't blonde."

"Your mom is your godly parent?"

"Yeah, but I've been here a few months, and I haven't been claimed yet." Auburn said, slightly glumly(if those words went together?).

God, Augustus thought. She is really, _really _pretty.

"So... where is everyone?" Augustus decided to ask.

"At the pavilion, calling roll." Auburn said, waiting for him to get it.

"I - I overslept? I'm late?" Augustus panicked.

Auburn smiled softly. "Yeah. Here's your camp t-shirt. Go and change."

Augustus hustled to bathroom, where he threw his new t-shirt and a semi-clean pair of jeans. He combed his hair and borrowed some kid's Axe(To make up for a shower).

He hurried outside, where Auburn was already running towards the pavilion. Augustus, while being slightly pudgy, was a fast runner; he ran track for Easton Central School back home. Well, what used to be his home. He wasn't sure he'd ever make it back.

No more Randy MacNair, he thought as he ran, passing Auburn who wasn't the quickest in flip-flops. He went to the Hermes table, which was easy to spot because A) It had the most kids and B) it was next to the Dionysus table, which had one sad looking kid named Pollux at it.

He slid into the table just as him name was called. "Praedo, Augustus!"

"Here." Augustus said, his voice cracking in the middle, which caused a few snickers in the crowd. Everyone was staring at him.

Auburn slid in across from him, breathing heavily, her face red. "Zeller, Ryan!"

"Here!"

Auburn cursed. "I'm late. He's the last one."

"McNamara, Auburn!"

"Here!" She cried out, angrily.

Chiron looked up from his list. "You're late again, Ms. McNamara. 2nd time this month, yes?"

Augustus was about to speak, but Auburn silenced him. "Yes." She said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Chiron look at her regrettably. "One extra hour of KP on Thursday is in order." Auburn nodded solumnly.

Augustus looked at her. "Why -"

She waved him off. "You just got here. I'm capable of extra work."

The nymphs delivered breakfast. Augustus asked for eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast. But hey, he was hungry.

He scarfed down his breakfast, eating until he was full and until his third goblet of orange juice was gone. Of course, he scraped a bit of hash into the fire pit. _For Hermes, _he thought.

His day went unordinarily - he had archery with Toad, and what surprised was that he had pretty solid aim. That day, he also had wrestling (ouch), pegasus riding (the pegasi loved him, for some reason) and canoeing, which he got very wet in.

Then he retired for the day back to his cabin and waited for the next day to come. That was how his experiance at camp went for the first two weeks passed.

Of course he'd had few combat lessons, but his skill wasn't anything to mail home about. He was adequate in all four main weapon categories - Sword, Spear, knife (DualShine), and archery. Percy had called him "a master of weapons," which wasn't true. Just because he was OK didn't mean he was a master.

He could sense that counselors were trying to figure out what dad he had, and the same with Auburn. They were the only two unclaimeds at the camp, and they got grouped together in a lot of things. Auburn insisted she was a daughter of Athena - but that wasn't possible. Athena claimed you at birth, so there was no chance. Conner and Travis were hellbent on the idea that Augustus was a child of Ares, because he was "a master of weapons."

Augustus honestly didn't care. He just wanted to be claimed. And with the first few combat missions approaching, he thought, _This is the perfect chance for my dad to claim me_.

_Please... Please..._


	9. Kitten

**All of the campers were gathered in the pavilion,** waiting for Chiron to announce the first major war game of the summer session. It was July 2 - two days until the fireworks, and Augustus was going alone. Or at least he was at the moment...

Anyway, Chiron began to speak. "Heroes! The challenge tonight is very similar to an activity we ran with Quintus last summer. You will work in pairs. We have unleashed the monsters in the forest - find the beast with laurels around it's neck." Everyone looked satisfied with that.

"And," Chiron said, his voice quavering, "bring it back to the arena. Alive. Winner gets away with no stable cleaning for a month."

Now some talking started. A kid named Justinian looked at Augustus with nervousness. Augustus could understand that, because Justinian had just showed up at Camp three days ago. He was, of course, unclaimed. Even though Justinian (he liked to be called Justin) was 15, he was looking up to Augustus for help, which was cool.

The most unsettling thing about Justin was his face - he had grey hair (which was so gray it almost looked blue). His eyes were purely white with that black dot in the middle (Don't ask Augustus what it was called). He wondered if Justin could see normally; he doubted it, but he didn't want to make Justin feel like weirdo.

Chiron began to rattle off names. "Percy Jackson and Charles Beckendorf."

They high-fived and began to strap on armor. Some more names were rattled off that meant nothing to Augustus. A few more friendly names were said, like "Amos Finley and Annabeth Chase," and "Conner Stoll and Travis Stoll."

But Augustus was still waiting for his name. Auburn was with Nico (who was at camp for once) and she looked utterly repulsed. Auburn had told Augustus that Nico freaked her out - that Hades freaked her out, generally.

"Augustus Praedo and Justinian Grimm." Chiron announced. Justin smiled slightly.

Anastasia Nova, the Hermes Junior Councilor, walk over to Justin. "Come on, we'll get you fitted." Anastasia walked away with a nervous looking Justin, which looked backwards bacause Justin was 5 foot 9 compared to 'Stasia, who was 5"2.

Augustus put on his own armor, which wasn't anything special. It took him a while to get used to lugging around all of his equipment, but his experiences in Capture the Flag made him feel used to it. His standard sword was at his side, his spear was strapped to his back, his bow was slung over his back as well, and DualShine was in his pocket (for close quarter combat). His quiver of arrows was strapped around his leg to his jeans (a strange, yet, convenient place for a quiver).

Justin staggered back to him with armor that was too small, a sword, and a shield. Most half-bloods had scattered in the woods, and Augustus ran to the forest a well, Justin stumbling behind him.

He ran to the creek and crouched behind a tree, which was giggling. Well, actually, it was a tree nymph, a dryad. Dryads and naiads had taken a liking to Augustus, and he couldn't figure out why.

He waited for Chiron to sound the horn. The conch blew out, and a yell went up from the scattered demigods. The race to find the monster was on. Augustus lept out from behind his tree and immediately spotted a myrmeke.

They were disgusting.

It was an ant under a magnifying glass, basically disgusting. Augustus knew it hadn't sensed him yet, so he unsheathed his sword and sliced it in half. His spoil of war was an antennae, which he did not take.

Justin advanced slowly behind him, walking nervously. He had his sword in hand, shield in the other, and was struggling to lift them.

He saw no other warriors; he figured they were going stealth, but Augustus knew better - he knew Justin was not a good fighter yet, so he would fail at sneaking around.

Augustus crept along the creek. He had another idea - wait for the other campers to eliminate the monsters first. Then clean up the stragglers.

He saw a movement in the trees - a flash of bronze, and the strangled howl of a hellhound. Augustus heard the laugh and Percy's voice saying to Beckendorf, "I think I see someone. Come one; it's across the creek."

Augustus turned to Justin, who was dutifully watching their flank. "Come on, follow me. We have to get out of here."

Augustus dashed to the biggest oak in the woods. He hid behind it, with Justin behind a poplar a few yard away. Augustus's plan was to ambush Percy and Beckendorf and hold them off for a bit until they realized that they should be hunting monsters and forget about them.

But then Justin spotted something on the ground about 30 yards in the opposite direction of the river. It was a small ball of fluff on top of Zeus's Fist.

"Augustus, what is that?" He asked nervously.

Augustus glanced at Zeus's Fist. "It's a pile of rocks."

"No. The fluff ball."

Augustus took a second look. He could see a grey something or other on top of the Fist. He could see it writh, as if it was breathing.

He looking around the trunk of the tree. Percy and Beckendorf were gone.

"We might as well see what it is. We don't have anything better to do." He grumbled that second part. He sheathed his sword and walked slowly toward The Fist, seeing no one near. They reached the base, and Justin offered to scale it first.

He reached the top in no time. After a while, Justin poked his over the side of the rock pile and grinned. "Come up. This is pretty funny."

It took Augustus a while longer to reach the top, but when did, what he saw surprised him; Justin was holding a tiny grey kitten, who was purring contently in his arms.

It immediately jumped into the arms of Augustus. Thank good he sheathed his weapon, or the cute kitten would be sliced in half. But then he noticed something else. It had a collar on that looked like some sort of branch with golden leaves.

Augustus looked and Justin and grinned. "This is awesome. We win. Chiron is one crafty devil." Augustus saw a tag around it's neck. _Enceladus the cat,_it said. _If lost, please call the number CHB-3141 or Iris Message Chiron._

"Come on. I've seen a laurel before. This is it. Let's get back to the arena." Augustus said, and he began to climb down the Fist, cradled the snoring Enceladus in his arms.

"Justin. Take the lead. Fend off anything that tries to kill us. I don't want Enceladus to die." Justin grinned his goofy grin, as if he was happy to have an opportunity to show his skills.

They advanced leisurely through the forest, Justin leading with Augustus behind. Enceladus has somehow crawled in between Augustus's cheastplate and body. He wondered if it was warm in there.

Augustus drew DualShine in case anything actually attacked them. He wasn't sure if Justin was good in a fight, but he didn't want to die to test it out.

Luckily, they left the woods without even a confrontation. They took the long way, though the strawberry fields. Augustus noticed something in his first few weeks here - Plants grew like nuts when he stepped near him, animals seemed to love him, and his sense of smell had sharpened so that even though the closest monster was probably a few hundred yards away, that smell of death and the stench of monsters pounded his nostrils.

He wasn't sure what his smelling powers meant, and he wasn't sure what god that belonged to. He was getting more and more nervous every day, beginning to wonder who he was. He had golden blood and powers that didn't belong to any god.

They arrived in the arena, panting from the last one hundred yards of sprinting. Chiron clopped up behind them, holding a platter of chocolate chip cookies.

"You two have found the monster?" Chiron asked. He set the plate on a bench.

Augustus dug Enceladus out from under his chestplate. The kitten rubbed his head against Augustus's leg once it was on the ground. "'Monster' is a bit deceiving." Justin pointed out.

"I also called it a beast. I'm sure mice find little Enceladus terrifying." Chiron gave a sly smile as he said that. "Now... until the others return..." He gestured to the big platter of cookies on the bench.

It was a long 30 minutes before the first two campers trickled in. Percy and Beckendorf walked into the arena, looking crestfallen. "We couldn't find the -" Percy began to say, until he saw Augustus and Justin both stuffing cookies down their throats.

Justin nearly choked on a cookie, but he picked up Enceladus and grinned. "We found the great monster." He said.

Percy looked confused but then smiled. "Chiron, why?"

"You should know this, Percy. Has your friend the Ophiotaures taught you nothing?" Chiron said, glaring at Percy, expecting an answer.

"Oh. Power in capturing innocents. I see. But I'm allergic to cats, so this is definitely not fair." Beckendorf answered for Percy. Justin laughed.

"Well, _we're_ not." Augustus said, grinning like a madman.

Percy looked behind him, towards the woods. "Should we tell the others?" He asked.

Justin stuffed another cookie down. "Why? Then we would have to share. Like a cookie?" He offered one up to Percy.

"Ah, sure. Why not?" He ate the cookie slowly, staring at the water. Augustus offered Beckendorf one, but he declined.

"So, Augustus." Percy said as he finished. "How has life been in the Hermes cabin? You too, Justin."

"Hey, he just got here!" Augustus said. "But, definitely cramped. I just wish my dad would claim me."

Percy nodded in agreement. "I know how you feel. But, trust me, savor the feeling of being in a group. I've got a feeling you're a rare one, 'Gustus. You definitely have something different about you. Your blood proved it."

"His blood?" Beckendorf asked.

"Yeah," Augustus said. "I don't have normal blood. I got Ichor instead. Not too many know about it. Annabeth, Percy, Thalia the Hunter. I suppose you and Justin know about it now, too." He blushed. He didn''t want to get separate from the other kids this early.

"Ichor?" Justin asked, confused.

Augustus sighed. "Golden blood. The immortal blood that gods, monsters and nymphs carry. And me too."

"That's... creepy." Justin said, shaking his head.

"Like I said," Percy continued, "he's different. I definitely don't want him to go down the same road as me."

They sat in silence for awhile, looking at woods. The next pair who trickled in were Auburn and Nico. "Only Augustus looks for innocent animals in the middle of a battle to the death." Auburn had said once she inspected Enceladus.

Next came the Stolls, then Annabeth and Toad(who thought the whole cat incident was hilarious). By the time it was dark, almost everyone was at the arena and Augustus and Justin were both sick because of the sugar they'd ingested.

Once two little kids finally returned, Chiron spoke over the crowd. "Congratulations to Augustus Praedo and Justinian Grimm, who captured the objective!"

Justin sloppily held up Enceladus.

"They have won the Hermes cabin no Stable Duties for a month."

There was huge shout and banging of metal from a large group of kids who were happy they were relieved of their poo duties.

"Now, before you head to the campfire, we have a few announcements. Firstly-" Chiron was interrupted by a large squeal.

Suddenly, Enceladus stood on his hind legs. He began to walk like a human, and he glanced at the crowd, who was gasping and moving back.

"Too many people," the cat said in a ghostly voice.

Augustus almost jumped out of his greaves. "Since when could Enceladus do that?" He asked.

The cat looked at Augustus. "I'm not your your silly cat. I'm merely using him as a body for the moment."

That caused more panic among the crowd. "Calm down." Enceladus - err, the voice said. "I am Hermes, and I come on a message from an Olympian.

"To the one named Augustus Praedo, I have a message from your father." Hermes said wrinkling his cat nose. "He still is refusing to claim you, but he sends a message.

"'Boy, the only way to simply say this is that your mother has been dead for 7 years - she was cursed by the gods because she was a descendant of Salmacis. Which means, in turn, you are as well a descendant of Salmacis. You are damned forever by the gods because of this. That means you are destined to die young - and probably brutally. You mother was 46 years old, which for a nymph is like lightning speed. Oh, and your mom was a Dryad - a pine. Signed, your father.'"

Almost instantly, Hermes left Enceladus, and the cat climbed onto the lap of a stunned Augustus.

Almost everyone in the arena was staring at Augustus, who didn't know what to think himself. Only Annabeth and Chiron seemed to understand. Chiron cleared his throat.

"Can everyone," Chiron said, "leave the arena."

Most kids gave Augustus a disgusted look as they walked past. Even Auburn and Justin gave him strange looks, and the thought the Auburn might not be his friend anymore hurt Augustus's head. He'd been trying to get the guts to ask her to the 4th of July fireworks, but he couldn't muster the courage.

But he began to realize what his dad had been trying to say. His mom was a Dryad, which made him half nymph half god. His head hurt again when he realized he was no part human.

He had a messed up life, he realized.

Augustus walked over to Chiron and Annabeth, who were talking nervously. "Discussing what to do with me?" Augustus asked coldly.

Chiron sighed. "It just isn't that simple, m'boy. Come to the Big House. We have much to discuss."


	10. Dekagod

**Augustus's walk to the Big House seemed to take forever. **

Along the way, Annabeth and Chiron were talking quietly a few paces ahead of him. He wondered what they were talking about.

But the thought of being half nymph half god made him queasy. Aren't those supposed to be Cyclopes? But he wasn't a Cyclops. Other campers would have noticed it by now.

He could have been a son of a nymph, but he had a godly parent. And he didn't know who Salmacis was, but judging from what Hermes the kitty cat said, he couldn't be good.

He found that his mind kept returning to the few friends he'd made – Auburn, Toad, Justin. Maybe they'd shun him when they found out who he was. He couldn't stand to lose his friends. Especially Auburn, who he had inadvertently fallen for. He'd never felt so protective of a friend in his life – well, except for maybe Thalia. And maybe back home...

Nah, he thought. Forget about Easton. Your foster parents are dead. You live here now. Forget about your past. Forget about your old life. Focus on the new.

Again his thoughts had traveled back home to Iowa. Damn his wondering mind.

He was still wrapped in his thoughts when he mindlessly followed Chiron and Annabeth into the Big House. He snapped out of his subconscious when he smelled grapes – wine grapes.

Chiron saw the expression on Augustus's face. "That is what Dionysus smells like. He hasn't been here for weeks, and it still smells like wine."

Annabeth frowned. "I don't smell anything."

"That is because you are not blessed with a sense of smell like Augustus or I." Chiron explained.

"Thanks for reminding me that – once again – I'm not normal." Augustus grumbled, staring at his shoes.

Chiron placed a hand on Augustus's shoulder. "Ah, Augustus, to say it again, it just isn't that simple.

Annabeth was staring out of an open window, staring at the campfire. "Salmacis... Chiron, I thought the gods killed off the last survivor of that family a long time ago."

"Hey!" Augustus said. Enceladus began to meow at his feet. The kitten had followed him all the from the arena to the Big House. _Stop__annoying__me,_he told it.

A whiny voice answered, _Aw,__but__you__smell__so__good,__like__pine__and__grapes._

"GAH!" Augustus screamed, accidentally kicking the kitten. _Ow!__My__ribs!_It squealed.

Chiron smiled. "Enceladus is talking to you?"

"Yes... and I find it exceptionally weird." Augustus was still shocked.

"You have nymph blood. You'll find you can talk to animals – and plants, on a good day." Annabeth said.

"Ah! Who is Salmacis, and who am I?" Augustus was freaking out now.

"Calm down my boy." Chiron said, his steely expression taking over. "Have you heard of the story of Hermaphroditus?"

"Umm... yeah, actually I have. Percy said that's why he was in Iowa. He was tracking him."

"Explain to me what happened to him."

Augustus started. "Umm... he was the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, right? And he was walking in some woods in Asia Minor. He came upon a pond, and a water nymph, like, really loved him."

Chiron nodded. "Go on."

Augustus was going on his own knowledge now. "The nymph tried everything to get Hermaphroditus to like her, but she couldn't get him to. So Hermaphroditus waited for the nymph to go away, and then toke a bath in her pond. The nymph was ticked off beyond belief, so she prayed to the gods to curse the boy.

"And they did. That's where the word 'Hermaphrodite' comes from. That was his curse. The end." Augustus finished.

Chiron nodded. "But what happened to the nymph? Did she get out scot free. No, she didn't. She was cursed by Hermes and Aphrodite – behind the Council's back."

"Her pond was purified and made great tasting water, but anyone who bathed or drank from it received the curse of Hermaphroditus. That's it... right?" Annabeth said with a confused look on her face.

"No. There was one other thing she was cursed with – one that sticks with her ancestors." Chiron glanced at Augustus. "This loops us to the topic of Extrabloods."

Annabeth nearly fell off of her chair. "Whaaa? I thought those were legends!"

Chiron sighed. "Most are. But... Augustus, an Extrablood is a being that has more Godly blood than mortal blood. Demigods have the perfect mix; a 50-50 split. If a child has anything less that 50% split of his godly side, he is benign – he loses the power of his Godly side almost instantly. All mortals are technically benign, having some small percentage god in them because they are all descended from the same man – created by Prometheus."

Augustus was trying to process the information.

"But some people have more Godly blood than mortal blood. But they never last long after they are born. Zeus strikes them down before they can either morph into full godship or become too powerful. They are known as Extrabloods.

"The nymph's curse was that when it's descendants have a child with a god, if the percentage of god to nymph is EXACTLY 6O-40, then the child lives and can become extremely powerful. Anything else instantly kills the nymph and the child; even a 50-50 split. But, in return, the mother shall die soon after the birth of the child and the child will die in combat. We call these kids 'Dekagods,' meaning that they are 10 percent more powerful." Chiron finished.

_That__Cyclops__called__me__a__Dekagod_, Augustus thought.

"So those descendants died out a long time ago." Annabeth assumed.

Chiron shook his head. "No. Those descendants separated from the god side, and they have lived peacefully for millennia. They mated with satyrs, who started a different side of the family – the satyr side. Every century or so, a descendant goes against her family and falls in love with a god. The odd of a 60-40 split is so rare that there have only been a few Dekagods in history. Well... 3. And one of them is in this room."

He waited for Augustus to get it. "So... I am a descendant of this nymph. Her name was Salmacis, huh? I have amazing powers and stuff. I have a godly dad who won't claim so he won't be humiliated for associating with my completely innocent descendants."

Chiron and Annabeth stared at him. "You're taking this well in stride." Annabeth said.

"Well, it explains why I have Ichor." Augustus looked at his hands. He noticed that instead of being tinted red like they were 10 minutes ago, they were turning into gold tinted hands of shininess.

"This is both creepy... and cool." He decided. _You__are__one__cool__cat,_ Enceladus said.

_How__cheesy,_Augustus thought to the kitten.

Chiron and Annabeth and exchanged looks. "Augustus, there is one more thing that Salmacis was cursed with. Bad luck. Hermaphroditus's sister, Tyche – the goddess of luck – cursed Salmacis. And when it comes to Tyche, that means life or death."

"Does that have something to do with my, ah..." He pointed to right arm that Chiron had grown back.

"Yes... as a matter of fact, it does." Chiron said. "I know your adopted parents – Greg and Anne, if I'm correct?"

Augustus looked down. "They died in a plane crash."

"Oh... well then... I guess you should know the truth. Anne was your mom's best friend. She was a Dryad. Greg was a Satyr. You lost that arm when you fell out of car when you were 2. Tyche's curse almost took your life."

Augustus gave all of the things he'd learned in the past half an hour. "So why were Salmacis's descendants cursed? They didn't... we didn't do anything wrong."

"The gods work in strange circles," Annabeth responded as she untied her hair scrunchy and set in on the table. "They tend to make 'mistakes' like that. That's why... that's why demigods like L-Luke turned on us. After the time Luke met his father, back when we were on the run, I saw him trying to fall on his sword, but my 8 year-old brain didn't get it. I do now, but... the gods CAN ruin lives."

"And they have many times." Chiron concluded grimly. "Now go to your cabin. You have done enough for one day."


	11. Firework

**Extra-long chapter for y'alls today.**

* * *

**On July 4th, the sun was out shining.** Well, Augustus guessed it was like that all the time here. But the Gods were really giving the Camp an extra nice day; not even a cloud was in sight, and the breeze was just right - a warm, nice wind was blowing through.

It was lunchtime, and Augustus was sitting on the dock, eating a chicken sandwich and hanging out with his best friend, Toad.

Don't ask Augustus exactly how Toad had become his best friend - it just happened.

Because it was Saturday, the Camp got the day off. They were fed meals and that was it. Also, you were allowed to wear regular clothes, so Augustus was wearing his school shirt. Toad was wearing a New Jersey Nets shirt.

"You got a date for tonigh', 'Gustus?" Toad asked, taking a bite out of his peanut butter sandwich.

Augustus took another bite of his own sandwich before responding. "No," he said, feeling his face get hot, knowing that he blushed.

Toad pointed at him. "You're blushing. Or wha'ever you call it with your fancy golden blood. It looks like you're glowing. Now, talk. You want to ask someone out."

"Do you have a date?" Augustus asked.

Toad poked out his chest. "Sure. Lacy Wallcroft, that pretty daughter of Aphrodi'e. Dude, _everyone _goes with someone to the fireworks. I heard Percy is going with Annabeth, for once."

Augustus took off his Adidas and socks and put his feet in the water. He sighed. "Everyone thinks I'm super dangerous now, because I'm a dekagod. You know, there has only been two other in history. Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan."

"I've never heard of Genghis Khan."

"He was the ruler who made the Mongol Empire become the largest continental empire in history." Augustus said, his voice cracking. He had such amazing ancestors.

"Well, if your ances'ors conquered tons of land, you can certainly can ask out a girl." Toad said with a smile.

"I wish it was that simple," Augustus said. "I haven't talked to her since the day when... when, well you know." Toad nodded. "I think she might be avoiding me."

Toad smiled wryly, looking at some nymphs in the woods. "You're way too awkward around girls. You never had a girlfriend back home?"

Augustus shook his head and looked away.

"So you have _never _kissed anyone?" Toad asked.

Augustus thought that his face must have been both glowing and radiating heat. "Can I just drown my self in the lake out of embarrassment right now?"

Toad put his hands up. "Hey, sorry man."

They sat at the lake silently and finished their lunch. Augustus's sandwich had been good - deep fried chicken smothered in Buffalo sauce, his favorite flavor. But that couldn't cheer him up.

Toad brushed crumbs off of his hands. "Wha's the name of the girl you want to ask?"

"No offence, but you seem like one to spread rumors." Augustus said.

Toad stroked his non-existent beard. "Tha's probably a wise thing to do, 'Gustus. I do spread rumors." He walked off, walking his heavy limp.

Augustus sat for another few minutes. Right when he began to stand up, a voice called out. "Hey, Augustus!" He turned around to see Auburn come running down the slope. Great, the Ichor was rushing to his face again.

She was smiling a 4 on her smile scale. Augustus had decided she had ten different levels of smiles. 1 could still make Augustus fell warm inside, and 10 could completely disarm people and Augustus had seen her do just that a few times.

"Yes?" He called up the hill.

Auburn sat down next to Augustus. "What's up?" She said, flashing a 6.

"Uh... nothing. I-I'm looking forward to the fireworks, I guess. I heard that the Stolls are organizing a touch football game, and I was thinking about joining up." Augustus said, staring at the water.

"That's cool." Auburn said. They sat in silence for a few minutes. "You know, you still owe me an explanation for that whole nymph thing. And you're glowing."

Augustus sighed. "That's part of the explanation. See, I'm what they call a dekagod."

Augustus went on to explain basically everything Chiron had told him; the story of Hermaphroditus, the curses on Salmacis and basically anything he could remember on Extrabloods. Auburn was nodding rigorously throughout the story, and once he was done, Auburn did something surprising. She patted Augustus on the shoulder and gave him a perfect 10 smile, which made him a bit woozy.

"Wow," She said. "That... actually sounds really cool."

"Cool, if you mean life-threatening." Augustus mumbled. "It's like I have a target painted on my chest."

"Still, I mean..." Auburn gazed at the water. "You must have some cool powers and stuff."

"I can talk to animals. I imagine that's about it." Augustus replied. He decided to strike up a conversation with an ant. _Leaves. Grasshoppers. Giants. _Was all it said.

"And most animals have nothing good to say." He sighed.

When she removed her hand, his shoulder felt pins and needles. They sat there in silence for about 10 minutes, the entire time, Augustus's mind was fighting with itself. _Just ask her out! _his bold side pleaded. _No, there's a better chance she'll say no!_ his timid side said.

Eventually, Augustus stood up and said. "That football game is gonna start soon. I'm going." He said.

As he walked over to the cabins he was mentally cussing at himself. That was his best chance.

The football was fun, he guessed, but Conner and Travis were both excellent athletes. They were making amazing plays left and right, so at least the game was exciting.

People started to get bored and leave, so the game disbanded. Augustus thought about talking to Auburn again, but he quickly lost the nerve. It was 4:00, and the first firework launched at at exactly 8:02 (Don't ask), so he had four hours.

He went back to Cabin 11 and walked into the men's restroom, where he found the other 6 Hermes guys freshening up. Augustus knew Conner, Travis, and Justin well, but the other 3 were a bit more vague. He knew their names were Butch, Duncan, and Chris.

Conner nodded at Augustus. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Augustus said with a shrug. He leaned against the door. "What's up with you?"

Travis beamed. "Me and Conner scored the Christman twins - you know, those daughters of Apollo? I have Kayla, he has Taylor."

Travis was so busy bragged that he cut himself on his razor. He recoiled and then hissed. "Damn you, razor!" he practically shouted.

Augustus let out a short laugh, and then looked at the ground. "You guys know when we start the _real _combat missions?" he asked.

"Most of the senior counselors _have _been going on missions. Travis and Conner can tell about that." Chris said.

Conner sighed, looking at his brother, who was mumbling profanities and trying to stop his bleeding. "Me, Travis and Beckendorf went to Syracuse in May to take down Adonis, who was trying to mount an army there. We ended up destroying the college football stadium."

"That's why they put in junior counselors this year." Butch put in. Butch was a son of Iris, but he didn't exactly have a cabin, so he stayed in #11. "So many people left before the summer session started that camp needed to have functional leaders. So the campers of each cabin voted for a back-up."

Duncan scowled. Augustus didn't much like him; he knew Duncan had aspirations for power in camp - he made relationships with people that were further up in the hierarchy of Camp Half-Blood, bought people over, and was just generally a dirtbag.

"I can't believe Anastasia was voted our junior counselor." he said, spitting a wad of something out of his mouth. Duncan was a - to put it nicely - a juvenile delinquent. He was rescued from one of those rehab houses for kids with problems by some satyr three years ago.

Everyone in the room shot him a shocked look. Chris dropped his comb.

"How could you _not _want 'Stasia as your leader?" Conner asked in shock. Everyone loved Anastasia - she was funny, strong, brave, a great fighter, and a loyal friend. What more can you ask for?

Duncan shrugged. "I could do better." he said simply.

Travis stepped forward. "Oh really? Is that you talking, or the drugs?"

Duncan looked outraged. "You _know _I'm clean, Travis. _You know it!_" he was screaming now. Augustus didn't like the creep, but he believed that Duncan was clean now, even if he once hadn't been. Travis had dealt a low blow with the drug comment.

Travis took a step back, but then he hit the wall. "Listen here, Duncan - I didn't _ask _for you. And frankly, I don't want you. And it doesn't seem like you _want _to be here most of the time. And yeah, buddy, I caught you. Three days ago, I saw you catching a light near the canoe lake."

Duncan reddened and then stormed out of the room. Travis sighed. Butch gave him a look. "That was _so _not cool." he said.

Travis gave a nervous look. "Hey! Duncan was making fun 'Stasia!"

"And you retorted by mentioning his drug problem. Class act move." Augustus said. He wasn't sure what side to take in this argument.

Travis put up his hands. "Is _anyone _going to side with me on this?" The campers developed a sudden interest in their sneakers.

"Gah!" he said, and then he also left the bathroom, leaving a bunch of emotionally exhausted half-bloods alone in a room.

Conner put his head in his hands. "I hate what this war is doing to us." he said. "It's tearing us apart. We should be bonding together, not fighting. We also need to form an army."

To everyone except Augustus, this was shocking. Augustus spoke up. "Come on, guys. You know that Kronos will have to make a move eventually." Augustus knew exactly where and when Kronos would attack, too. He almost wished he had never read those books - it haunted him to know that some of the people he knew would die.

Worst of all, he wasn't sure how to save them, and he doubted the ability to talk to animals would be very useful in that subject.

"If people would stop throwing skittles at me, then I would be more encouraged to work with them." Butch said. Augustus had seen some Apollo kids launching the candy at him last Tuesday, usually followed by the yell "TASTE THE FREAKING RAINBOW!"

Chris began to laugh, but then Conner gave him a glare. Augustus had found that even though the Stolls were identical in every physical manner, Conner was a bit more... subdued. Of course, every Hermes kid had their OMG-things-are-loosely-guarded-and-I-want-to-steal-them-and-stuff moments, but Conner seemed to have less of them than Travis.

Justin made his voice known for the first time all day. "This Kronos guy... he's building an army on a cruise ship, right?"

Conner gave him a weird look. "Uh, yeah. How did you know that?"

"Oh. I, um, overheard Percy and Annabeth talking about it. I was... curious." Justin's creepy eyes flickered to the door. "I, er, have to meet with my date."

Justin darted out the door. "HE gets a date," Augustus said, "And I don't? He's been here 5 days."

Conner shrugged. "Maybe someone here has the hots for, uh, premature grey hair and no irises."

Chris looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Grimm's a frisky greyhound, isn't he? He's always a bit nervous, like he's being chased."

"He might just have a hard time accepting the fact that the gods exist." Butch reasoned, as re ran his hand through his hair. Well, his bristles, more like. He had one of those ultra-short brush cuts.

Augustus got up from his resting place against the wall. "Well, um... I think I'm going to have another shot at getting my date."

"Good luck, man." Conner said.

Augustus walked out of the cabin to find a group of four people congregating in front of the cabin. He recognized Travis as one and Anastasia as another one, but the others were foreign to Augustus.

Travis looked up. "Oh, hey 'Gustus. Can I talk with you for a minute?"

"That depends." Augustus said. "What's it about?"

Anastasia spoke next. "Me and Travis have declared Prank War on Conner. We think he's gone soft. And we'd like you to join our side."

"Does Conner know you've declared war?" It was a rhetorical question - of course Conner hadn't known about it, he'd been in the bathroom the entire time.

"No... he'll figure it out. But trust me: he doesn't stand a freaking chance." Travis said. "You should definately side with me."

Augustus weighed his options. "I'll stay neutral." he said.

He began to walk away. "You can't stay neutral forever!" Travis yelled. "You'll get caught in the crossfire! THERE IS NO SWITZERLAND IN THIS WAR!"

Augustus walked away, not paying them attention. He'd heard horror stories about the Stoll prank wars. He checked his watch. Oh, gods, it was 5:30! How did the time get away from him?

Dinner was served at 6:00. That gave him a freaking _half hour _get the guts to ask Auburn out to the fireworks. But he didn't have to go very far.

"Hey, 'Gustus." It was Auburn. Augustus turned to see his friend, but what she was wearing confused him. That being said, he'd only seen her in jeans in a t-shirt.

Auburn was... err, scantily clad. If by tank top and short shorts counted as scantily clad. "Oh. Err... uh, hi." Augustus managed to say. "You're different."

Auburn took several steps forward. "There are... reasons for that." she said.

"Oh," Augustus said. "And... uh, what would that be?" He felt really stupid right now.

"Well, I got thinking about what day it is." Oh, god. Was she actually suggesting that?

"Oh." Augustus said again. He could feel his coyness slipping. He could feel that he was blushing. "And, um... what... day is that?"

Auburn leaned close and whispered, "Judgement day."

Augustus didn't figured out what she meant until she ducked and rolled to the left. Then he saw the masked people pop out from behind statues with water guns primed. "FOR TRAVIS!" They yelled.

Oh. The prank war. He'd forgotten. Travis must have taken his refusal as a sign he was supporting Conner.

The water gunners certainly didn't care - they light up Augustus with many different colors, including pink and purple. Augustus made a few attempts to run, but he was trapped - he was surrounded by the gunmen, including Auburn. He supposed she had been recruited by Travis

As the gunners made their escape, Augustus cried, "THIS MEANS WAR!"

He looked down at himself. He was a mess of different food colorings, and his school shirt was ruined. Oh, the sweet revenge he would get on Auburn some day... But right now, he had to clean up.

He walked back into the Hermes cabin with all of his pride intact. He laid out a new set of clothes (which was just a camp t-shirt and jeans) and practically dove into the shower. He hummed slightly as he rinsed all of the food coloring out of his hair. Oh, yes; he _would _get revenge.

He peered around the curtain of the shower. But neither his clothes nor his towel were where he last placed them. Confused, he looked through the wide open door where he finally saw his clothing and towel.

But they were on the other side of the room.

It took Augustus a few seconds, but he got it: the water gun thing was just phase one of an elaborate prank. Now they were about to jump out of nowhere and snap a picture of him.

Augustus weighed his options. Option A was to walk across the room, in all his glory, snatch up his towel and clothes and dry off. Option B was to wait in the shower until they gave up with their stupid prank. As if.

THEN! He got the genius idea of all genius ideas. The shower curtain! The thing was solid white. He undid all of the rings and wrapped himself in the plastic, and walked out of the bathroom with all pride and confidence intact,

Augustus heard a few disappointing groins from Travis and Anastasia, who had materialized to the right of him with a camcorder.

"Sorry, guys." Augustus beamed cheekily. "You should think your pranks out completely next time." He grabbed his clothes and towel, making a point of examining the underwear. He saw that Conner had left his paintball gun nearby. He dove for it.

"SURPRISE!" He yelled. Travis and Anastasia both yelped and sprinted out of the cabin. Augustus stood at the doorway and fired the gun one handed. He hit them both solidly a few times.

Augustus sighed and went back into the bathroom to put on his clothes. What an AMAZING Independence Day this was, huh?

He looked at the clock that hung on the wall above the bunks. 5:55. So he had to high-tail it to get to dinner. He sighed. July 4th was just getting better and better!

The food was fantastic, as always. The nymphs broke away from their usual Greek food and served hot dogs and cheeseburgers. It had been so long since Augustus had either of those things, so he pigged out a little bit. While he was gnawing on his second piece of corn on the cob, Conner spoke up from across the table.

"Augustus, you _are_ joining my side, right?" Conner asked.

Augustus sighed. This prank war was really, really stupid, but he wanted revenge. Badly.

"I guess." He said grudgingly. "But nothing really, you know, over the top and crazy, right? Because we are fighting a REAL war."

Conner nodded slowly. "Okay... but just so you know, the last war Travis and I created lasted 3 weeks. So something stupid is going to happen. I have to defend my honor and show Travis that I'm not soft - I'm just being rational."

Augustus went back to eating his dinner. Chiron made a few announcements about firework safety and stuff before he finally let the anxious demigods go to the beach for the party.

Augustus found a nice spot where the sand was cool enough to be sat on comfortably. It was on the far left of the beach and it had a few rocks nearby for convenient leaning. As the sun went down and another hour dragged by, the fireworks began.

The first one that flashed by was an image of monsters pouring out of a hole in the ground and bunch of kids fighting them off, finally defeating them. A chorus of hollers sounded around the beach, and Augustus figured that image was of the Battle of the Labyrinth.

Most of the images were similar to that - demigods triumphs, battles and stuff like that.

After about 30 minutes of watching people near him hold hands and kiss, Augustus got fed up. He was going to find Auburn and A) ask to sit with her and B) ask what the Hades the prank was all about.

So he stood up, shaking just a bit. He stalking up and down until he found her.

Auburn was leaning against a rock. She was out of her "pranking clothes" and back in her usual get-up. She was scribbling something down on a pad that looked suspiciously like a drawing.

Augustus sat on a boulder a few yards away. "What's up?" he asked.

Auburn looked startled. "Oh, uh, hi." She slid her pad being her rock.

Augustus smiled slightly. "Whatcha got there?"

Auburn sighed and let her hair down out of her hair. "What's your game, Augustus? Travis told me to expect something. I already used the seduction trick earlier."

Augustus put his hands up, feeling slightly offended. "No game."

"Oh, come on. You came here. You must have some sort of new angle or motive." Her eyes burned with suspicion.

Jeez, she was taking this prank war seriously. Augustus figured she be total gangster commando when the real war came.

Augustus off his boulder. "Nothing about the war. You know, these fireworks are meant to be fun."

Auburn nodded. "Well, duh."

"So, I , uh, want to know if I could, well, watch the rest of the fireworks with you...?"

A hint of smile flickered across Auburn's face. "Sure."

And they sat for hours watching the pretty lights.


	12. Revenge

**It was July 23rd.** Also known as revenge day.

Today was the day he'd get back at Auburn. The prank war was dying down and Augustus knew it's end was near. He'd only been gotten a few more times after that 4th of July, and they had been pretty lames pranks.

The plan had sprung up last night after Chiron had announced that Conner, Travis, Percy, and Clarisse would be heading to Boston to kill some minor god who was recruiting monsters and was also joining Kronos.

Conner was sitting next to Augustus when he heard the news. He elbowed Augustus in the ribs. "We're gonna end this war with a bang, okay?"

"Uh, what do you mean?" Augustus asked him.

He gestured to Auburn, who was sitting at the other end of the table. "You want to get back at her?"

Augustus smiled slyly. "Oh, definately."

Conner smiled. "Good. Then we're going get her and Travis to claim victory. And I know how we're going to do it."

* * *

Augustus hefted his bucket onto the table and examined it's contents. "How in Hades did you get this much honey?" He asked, looking at his distorted reflection in the golden liquid.

Conner shrugged. "I know the right satyr. Honey is the mother of all pranking liquids. Well, glue is a close second." Augustus looked into Conner's bucket. Sure enough, it was full of classic Elmer's white glue.

Augustus grinned evilly. "This is gonna be fuuuuuuuuuun."

Conner returned the evil smile. "You may a child of Hermes, 'Gustus."

"Nah. I just like revenge." Augustus sat on a bench nearby. They were in the Hermes weapon shed, and they were ready for ambush.

"Is ol' warty in position?" Conner asked.

"I'm pretty sure... let me check." He unclipped his walkie-talkie from his belt. "Wart, you in position?"

"Yup." Came Toad's voice. Augustus had recruited Toad to spot for them. Wart was their codename for him. "Keep your talkie on." Toad was up in a tree on the edge of the woods. He claimed he could see the entire camp up there. Augustus hoped he could.

The entire plan was that Conner and Augustus would spring out, and soak the Travis and Auburn with the sticky liquids. The Hermes weapon shed was right next to the Dionysus cabin (which stunk of grapes), so Travis and Auburn would have no where to run.

But the best part was the round two. Both of the prankers had ripped open pillows, and after the poor victims were doused, they would also be covered in feathers.

In Augustus's opinion, it was fool-proof.

Augustus was yanked out of his thoughts when Toad's frenzied voice came over the talkie. "They're headed your way! Get ready!"

Augustus picked up his bucket and put the pillow under his arm. He struggled to hold the bucket - he didn't realize how much honey weighed.

"NOW! NOW!" Conner and Augustus burst out the door to see Travis and Auburn, as Toad promised.

Conner hefted his bucket and dumped it's sticky contents onto Travis, making him yell as he stumbled backward. At the same time, Augustus covered Auburn in golden liquid.

They both fell to the ground. They looked up at their assailants, shocked. "What the _Hades?_" They demanded in unison.

Augustus smiled and took out his pillow and emptied it's contents onto Auburn, who screamed a girly-type scream. "Gah!"

For a second, the two unclaimed children stared at each. Then Auburn got unsteadily to her feet. Augustus managed to suppress a giggle. She was covered in honey and feathers, which looked pretty darn funny.

Auburn glared at him. The she grabbed him.

At first, Augustus was confused. But then he felt the honey.

"No! Aw, come on! This is my last clean shirt!" He said, but Auburn only tightened her grip. Augustus pushed away Auburn before any serious damage could be done to his shirt.

Auburn spit out honey and laughed. "You... deserved... that." She said though laughs. "Serves you right... counter-pranking me... although I suppose I deserved that, too."

Augustus nodded. "You do. But don't worry. This is the height of my wit." He looked at the woods, where he saw Toad giving him a thumbs-up. "We should focus on the real war."

Auburn nodded. "The real war. I guess I have to go take a shower."

"That would be my best guess." Augustus said before Auburn away. As she did, she scraped a glob of honey off of her arm and flung it at Augustus.

It hit him square in the forehead.

* * *

Fast-forward time. It's now August 2nd. Augustus and Auburn are at the arena, going sword on sword. Both of them had improved greatly since Augustus had arrived, and they were pretty evenly matched. At the moment, Augustus was trying to perfect a move that Percy taught him. You used the flat of your blade to unhook your opponent's fingers from the hilts and disarm them.

Yeah, like he could actually do _that_.

Auburn tried a simple jab, which Augustus parried. He decided to counter with a high slash right, but Auburn was too quick. She ducked the blade and moved quickly to Augustus's right, trying to land a quick shot.

Augustus whirled around to intercept the blade, but he stumbled, caused Auburn to knock him off his feet. Withen seconds, she had Augustus pinned to the ground.

She smiled. "I win." She said simply, before offering Augustus a hand up. He took it gratefully and got up on his feet.

"You need to work on your flanks. I went right around you." Auburn reported as they went over to the weapon stand and began to take off their equipment.

"You're pretty fast. I bet my flanks are adequate." Augustus quipped right back, taking off his celestial bronze chestplate and throwing it into the armory. He groaned slightly as he struggled to take off his greaves, which were seriously annoying to remove.

"I hate armor." Auburn said as she struggled with her helmet, which was too tight on her.

"Here. Let me help."

"No, I got this." She told him as she succeeded in only lifting it an inch.

Augustus rolled his eyes. "Really now." He reached under the edge of her helmet, and after a few seconds of grunts, the helmet slipped off of her head, leaving the two panting like dogs.

Out of nowhere, a voice came. "Hey, you guys!" Augustus turned to see Percy coming around the around the bend. "You have to... am I interrupting something?"

Augustus realized how Percy might have gotten that impression. He leaped a few feet away, sure his face was glowing golden. "No... what's up?"

Percy smirked. "My dad found the _Princess Andromeda _last night, and he _annihilated _it." Augustus felt alarmed. He struggled to remember back to the last time he'd read _The Last Olympian. _He was pretty sure Percy and Beckendorf had to go on board the cruiseliner and blow it up themselves.

Was his presence in this world altering the future? That thought made him shudder, but another idea came into his head.

Beckendorf would survive.

That thought produced pins and needles feeling in his arms. His presence here alone would save a hero.

But then he thought about Silena. Beckendorf and Silena spent almost all of their possible time together. If Beckendorf survived and Silena didn't, then the normally stoic son of Hephaestus would be crushed.

Augustus mentally face-palmed. Thinking like this would probably drive him mad.

"That's awesome!" Auburn exclaimed.

Percy's small smirk was gone. "It won't deter Kronos, though. It'll set him back, sure, but..." he fingered one of the beads on his camp necklace. "We need to start some serious war prep. I'll get back to you guys on that after the meeting of head councilors."

"Aren't most of the HC's on mission?" Augustus asked curiously as he pulled off his finger-less gloves he used when training. He hated the things, but they prevented blisters.

"Yeah. Most cabins are being represented by junior councilors." Percy said as he backpedaled away, leaving Augustus and Auburn alone once again. They looked at each other with uncertainty.

"We're still probably gonna die, right?" Auburn asked, fiddling with her bracelet.

Augustus sighed. "Probably. But time is too short to be sitting around." He picked up his sword and poked her with it playfully. "Come on. Pick up your sword."

Auburn blinked. "Um, we just took off all of our armor. It'll be a pain to take off again."

"Come on. Do you actually think I'm going to hurt you?"

Auburn's eyes got misty for a fraction of a second before returned to usual. "No... no, I don't you'll hurt me." She picked up her sword. "En guard."

* * *

**I know I'm not one for Author Notes, but guys, I'm getting decent views, and the lack of reviews is killing my confidence and will to finish this story. So if you could drop a review, that would be awesome.**


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